Sport

Ireland qualifies two boats for Rio Olympic Games

Men’s and women’s lightweight double sculls secure places through B Finals at World Championships

Sinead Jennings (pictured) and Claire Lambe have qualified for the Olympic Games after finishing third in the B Final in the women’s double scull at the World Championships in France. Photograph: Inpho/Getty Images
Sinead Jennings (pictured) and Claire Lambe have qualified for the Olympic Games after finishing third in the B Final in the women’s double scull at the World Championships in France. Photograph: Inpho/Getty Images
Liam Gorman in Aiguebelette
Sat Sept 05 2015 - 13:38

Ireland qualified two boats for the Olympic Games at the World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette in France on Saturday.

The lightweight double sculls needed to finish in the top five in their B Finals and both achieved this in close races.

The men’s crew of Paul and Gary O’Donovan were in a dogfight to avoid sixth, and pipped Greece for the fifth place by .28 of a second.

Sinead Jennings and Claire Lambe led their race and secured third as the rest of the field gathered them in at the finish.

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WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS
(at Aiguebelette, France)

Men's Lightweight Double Sculls – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 Poland 6:20.25, 2 United States 6:20.55, 3 Austria 6:22.04, 4 Switzerland 6:22.34, 5 Ireland (P O'Donovan, G O'Donovan) 6:23.20; 6 Greece 6:23.48.

Women's Lightweight Double Sculls – B Final (Places 7 to 12): 1 China 6:59.31, 2 Poland 7:00.37, 3 Ireland (C Lambe, S Jennings) 7:00.67, 4 Russia 7:00.79, 5 United States 7:02.21; 6 Sweden 7:02.45.

Liam Gorman

Liam Gorman

Liam Gorman is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in rowing